Discussion:
[hercules-390] Some questions (re: dodgy punch)
'\'Fish\' (David B. Trout)' david.b.trout@gmail.com [hercules-390]
2018-02-24 02:06:42 UTC
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1. Do we know what the garbage looks like? Do we have a hexdump of the punch file containing the garbage? (that shows where the good data ends and where the bad data begins and what the bad data looks like?)

2. Does the problem happen at random steps during the sysgen? Or does is always happen after a particular step?

3. Is the Hercules punch file being re-created fresh each time? (i.e. after each step that consumes the previous step's punch output, is the previous run's punch about being deleted so that the next run of Hercules always starts with creating the o/p punch file "anew" (i.e. fresh/empty)?

4. Has CCW tracing of the punch device been enabled in the configuration file? (or in whatever automation script is being run before the guest is IPL'ed?) Can we see the hercules log outputs from both the run PRIOR to (immediately BEFORE) the one that produces the garbage AS WELL AS the run that produces the garbage?

5. How exactly is the "garbage" being detected? Is it being detected between Hercules runs? If so, how is it being detected?

6. If the garbage (bad data) is being detected by MVS, can we introduce a step between Hercules runs that hex-dumps the Hercules punch file so we can determine whether the card reader is simply reading it wrong? Maybe the bug isn't with the punch device but rather in the card reader device?

(I'm presuming the punch output of one step is fed into the card reader of the next step, yes? Does this happen within the same run of Hercules? (via devinit of the Hercules punch and reader devices) Or is the next sysgen step run in from a new Hercules instance?)


I seem to recall a bug in Hercules's handling of printer and punch output with respect to proper handling of the "noclear" (or "notrunc") option and their corresponding default "clear" and "trunc" handling. The fix I had to commit to my repository was to do a "ftruncate" after opening the output file to ask the filesystem (Windows) to reset the file to empty. I'm not seeing that fix anywhere in Hercules 3.07 nor in hercules-390/Hyperion (4.0). Maybe that's the bug that's biting you? Has anyone (Paul) bothered to try the same test(s) using my SDL Hyperion instead of the hercules-390/hyperion?
--
"Fish" (David B. Trout)
Software Development Laboratories
http://www.softdevlabs.com
mail: ***@softdevlabs.com
'\'Fish\' (David B. Trout)' david.b.trout@gmail.com [hercules-390]
2018-02-24 04:03:09 UTC
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Post by '\'Fish\' (David B. Trout)' ***@gmail.com [hercules-390]
1. Do we know what the garbage looks like? Do we have
a hexdump of the punch file containing the garbage? (that
shows where the good data ends and where the bad data begins
and what the bad data looks like?)
<snip>

(Oops!) Posted to wrong group. Please ignore.
--
"Fish" (David B. Trout)
Software Development Laboratories
http://www.softdevlabs.com
mail: ***@softdevlabs.com
'Dave Wade' dave.g4ugm@gmail.com [hercules-390]
2018-02-24 08:28:02 UTC
Permalink
Hi Fish, (and Paul)

I am out today. I planned to try and see if VM would produce garbage. Will
contact you off-list about Hv4. Not had a HEX dump from Paul. Would be
usefull.
Paul has reproduced on un-patched Hercules but not sure if V3.13 was latest
or if he has used 4.
I not think he should try with latest V4 as you say channel architecture is
different.
Busy today so may be Sunday before I have time to try things myself.

Dave
-----Original Message-----
Sent: 24 February 2018 02:07
Subject: [hercules-390] Some questions (re: dodgy punch)
1. Do we know what the garbage looks like? Do we have a hexdump of the
punch file containing the garbage? (that shows where the good data ends
and where the bad data begins and what the bad data looks like?)
2. Does the problem happen at random steps during the sysgen? Or does is
always happen after a particular step?
3. Is the Hercules punch file being re-created fresh each time? (i.e.
after each
step that consumes the previous step's punch output, is the previous run's
punch about being deleted so that the next run of Hercules always starts
with creating the o/p punch file "anew" (i.e. fresh/empty)?
4. Has CCW tracing of the punch device been enabled in the configuration
file? (or in whatever automation script is being run before the guest is
IPL'ed?) Can we see the hercules log outputs from both the run PRIOR to
(immediately BEFORE) the one that produces the garbage AS WELL AS the
run that produces the garbage?
5. How exactly is the "garbage" being detected? Is it being detected
between Hercules runs? If so, how is it being detected?
6. If the garbage (bad data) is being detected by MVS, can we introduce a
step between Hercules runs that hex-dumps the Hercules punch file so we
can determine whether the card reader is simply reading it wrong? Maybe
the bug isn't with the punch device but rather in the card reader device?
(I'm presuming the punch output of one step is fed into the card reader of
the next step, yes? Does this happen within the same run of Hercules?
(via
devinit of the Hercules punch and reader devices) Or is the next sysgen
step
run in from a new Hercules instance?)
I seem to recall a bug in Hercules's handling of printer and punch output
with
respect to proper handling of the "noclear" (or "notrunc") option and
their
corresponding default "clear" and "trunc" handling. The fix I had to
commit
to my repository was to do a "ftruncate" after opening the output file to
ask
the filesystem (Windows) to reset the file to empty. I'm not seeing that
fix
anywhere in Hercules 3.07 nor in hercules-390/Hyperion (4.0). Maybe
that's
the bug that's biting you? Has anyone (Paul) bothered to try the same
test(s)
using my SDL Hyperion instead of the hercules-390/hyperion?
--
"Fish" (David B. Trout)
Software Development Laboratories
http://www.softdevlabs.com
------------------------------------
------------------------------------
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hercules-390
http://www.hercules-390.org
------------------------------------
Yahoo Groups Links
e.sorichetti@yahoo.it [hercules-390]
2018-02-24 09:16:37 UTC
Permalink
even if the topic is in the wrong forum ...
2. Does the problem happen at random steps during the sysgen? Or does is always happen after a particular >step?
it should happen ALWAYS in the step , I do not remember which one at the end of the sysgen
which creates the catalog member information where the one of the sysgen inner macro punches a hex unprintable


cheers
e
kerravon86@yahoo.com.au [hercules-390]
2018-02-24 11:13:48 UTC
Permalink
Post by ***@yahoo.it [hercules-390]
it should happen ALWAYS in the step , I do not
remember which one at the end of the sysgen
which creates the catalog member information
where the one of the sysgen inner macro punches
a hex unprintable
&//MACLIB DD VOL=(,RETAIN,SER=MVSRES),UNIT=335
ISP=SHR
PARMLIB DD VOL=(,RETAIN
R=MVSRES),UNIT=3350,DISP
&//PROCLIB DD VOL=(,RETAIN,SER=MVSRES),UNIT=3350,DISP=SHR &//S
=SHR &//SVCLIB DD VOL=(,RETAIN,SER=MVSRES),UNIT=3350,DISP=SHR
ER=MVSRES),UNIT=3350,DISP=SHR &//STGINDEX DD VOL=(,RETAIN,SER=MVSRES),UN
3350,DISP=SHR &//MANX DD VOL=(,RETAIN,SER=MVSRES),UNIT=3350,DISP=SHR
BFN. Paul.

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